Carton lock

ABSTRACT

An improved carton lock includes a common locking aperture located in the carton bottom and tabs with locking ears for insertion into the aperture to secure the carbon in erected condition without the need for glue. The locking aperture is defined by apertures cut in two opposing bottom panels which are overlapped so that the apertures cooperate to form a single common aperture. The locking ears are provided on the ends of two tabs associated with opposing locking panels and are insertable into the common aperture to secure the carton. The carton is assembled from an appropriately cut blank and may be provided with dividers which cooperate with the locking ears to improve the security of the lock.

ilnited States Patent [191 Oglesbee Mar. 4, 1975 CARTON LOCK [75]Inventor: Richard K. Oglesbee, Lancaster,

Ohio

[73] Assignee: Anchor Hocking Corporation,

Lancaster, Ohio [22] Filed: June 8, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 368,054

Related [1.8. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.169,355, Aug. 5,

197], Pat. No. 3,746,245.

[52] U.S. Cl 229/40, 206/45.31, 206/139, 206/427. 206/491, 229/15,229/290, 229/39 R. 229/43 [51] int. Cl..... 865d 65/06, 865d 75/14, 865d5/48 [58] Field of Search 206/65 C, 65 E; 229/8, 229/15, 16 R, 40, 39 R,29 D [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 877,951 2/1908 Roberts229/8.5

2,916,195 12/1959 Gatward 229/52 2,950,041 8/1960 Stone i 229/403.305.161 2/1967 Offer 229/93 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,494,2397/1967 France 206/65 C 1,256,031 2/1961 France 229/39 R PrimaryE.\'aminerWilliam 1. Price Assistant E,\'aminer-Bruce H. BernsteinAttorney, Agent, or FirmWood, I-lerron & Evans [57] ABSTRACT An improvedcarton lock includes a common locking aperture located in the cartonbottom and tabs with locking ears for insertion into the aperture tosecure the carbon in erected condition without the need for glue. Thelocking aperture is defined by apertures cut in two opposing bottompanels which are overlapped so that the apertures cooperate to form asingle common aperture. The locking ears are provided on the ends of twotabs associated with opposing locking panels and are insertable into thecommon aperture to secure the carton. The carton is assembled from anappropriately cut blank and may be provided with dividers whichcooperate with the locking ears to improve the security of the lock.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATFNTEDHAR 4|975 SBEET 2 or 2 1 CARTON LOCKThis application is a continuation-in-part of my previous applicationSer. No. 169,355 filed Aug. 5, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,746,245, datedJuly 17, 1973.

The present invention relates to carton structure and more particularlyto a tab lock for cartons useful for both the packaging and displayingof glassware or the like.

For packaging and displaying glassware, it is desirable to provide acarton which minimizes the danger of article scratching or damage, andwhich provides an attractive visual aspect while at the same timeallowing its contents to be visible to a large extent. Since suchcartons are generally shipped and assembled in large quantities, it isnecessary that they be shippable in flat form and be susceptible ofassembly by automatic machinery.

A carton of a type previously in use includes a generally square topwall and four sides extending at 90 angles from this wall. The sides areconstructed so that their edges do not meet when erected, therebyallowing the contents of the carton to be visible at the open corners,but the sides are close enough to securely contain the glasswaretherein. Each side of the carton joins an articulated bottom portion.These four bottom portions are all generally similar to one another andare folded at 90 with respect to the respective sides to form the cartonbottom when assembled together. The bottom portions of two of theopposing sides of the carton are provided with locking slots and theremaining two bottom portions on the other opposing sides are providedwith locking ears insertable in the slots.

The slots in the two opposing portions are located centrally in the foldlines which are between those portions and their respective sides. Theears of the remaining two opposing portions are located on the portionsedges, and are inserted into the slots in order to lock the fourportions together. Thus, as assembled, the prior art carton includes abottom with two slots on opposing sides thereof, and two portionsextending over the width of the bottom and provided with ears forlocking engagement in narrow slots.

In order to assemble the prior carton, the slotted bottom portions arefolded toward one another,the glassware is inserted, and the ears of theother portions are then manipulated by hand into the slots at the edgeof the bottom. This procedure necessitates considerable hand labor inthe assembly of the cartons. Furthermore, it is possible for the ears toslip from their respective slots and allow the bottom portions to comeloose, causing damage when the carton is handled.

In order to solve these problems, my invention in cludes a tab lock ofnovel structure which avoids the tab-in-slot lock of the previousconstruction.

In the previously identified prior application, I described a cartonwhich included a locking aperture defined by cooperating notches orcut-outs in the marginal edges or ends of cooperating bottom panels. Thepanels are connected to respective opposing sides of the cartons as inthe past carton, however, the notches are located along the ends ofthose panels so that the locking aperture is located in a central areaof the carton bottom and the notches form an aperture; no slottype lockneed be employed. Opposing locking panels are connected to the remainingopposing carton sides and have tabs provided with locking ears which,upon carton assembly, are insertable into the centrally located lockingaperture. These ears flex as the locking tabs are urged through theaperture. The ears then tend to return to their unflexed state on theinside of the aperture to lock the tabs and locking panels in position.

The carton described in the previous application is preferably providedwith dividers for separating the glassware to be packaged. The dividershave a centrally located opening at their bottom ends which cooperatewith the locking ears first to allow the ears to pass by the divider;the open portion is, however, small enough to allow the dividersthereafter to contain the ears as they tend to return to their unflexedstate to prevent unlocking. The divider thus holds the ends of thelocking tabs in generally upright positions perpendicular to shearstress on the tabs, thereby increasing the security of the lock. Thedividers thus enhance a positive capture of the ears and theirassociated tabs within the locking aperture.

The assembly of a carton utilizing the locking structure of my previousapplication may be easily performed by suitable automatic machinery. Thebottom panels are first glued together, and the partially assem bledcarton may be shipped flat in this form. The divid' ers and glassware tobe packaged are placed into the carton before the lock is completed. Thetabs of the locking panels carrying the ears are folded and pressed intothe central locking aperture and through the ears then spring backtoward their unflexed state on the interior side of the aperture,thereby locking the tabs and panels in place.

My present invention is somewhat similar to the structure of my previousapplication with the exception that the locking structure has beenmodified so that gluing is no longer necessary. Specifically, the cartonof the present invention does not utilize notches in the marginal edgesof cooperating bottom panels, but rather those panels are extended and alocking aperture is cut into each panel proximate its outer end margin.

When the carton is assembled, the bottom panels are overlapped so thatthe locking apertures cooperate to form a common locking aperture. Thedividers and glassware to be packaged are placed into the carton beforethe lock is completed. The tabs of the locking panels carrying the earsare then folded and pressed into the common locking aperture and throughabout 90. The ears then spring back toward their unflexed state on theinterior side of the common aperture, thereby locking the bottom panelstogether as well as securing the locking panels.

While the structure of my prior application is certainly advantageous,the present invention has the additional advantage that it can beassembled without the use of the folding and gluing apparatus requiredby my prior structure. This is particularly advantageous for short runswherein a relatively few units are to be as sembled.

It is thus a primary object of my invention to provide an improvedlocking structure for cartons.

A further object of my invention is to provide a locking structure forcartons which enables them to be readily assembled without requiringfolding and gluing apparatus.

A further object of my invention is to provide an extremely securelocking structure for use in cartons.

A further object of my invention is to provide an extremely securelocking structure for cartons which utilizes dividers placed within thecarton for enhancing the security of the lock.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improvedglue-free carton locking structure wherein all carton bottom and lockingpanels are efficiently secured via a common locking aperture and lockingears and tabs.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will becomereadily apparent from the following detailed description and drawings inwhich:

FIG. I is a perspective view of an assembled carton including apreferred form of the tab lock of this invention, showing the carton ininverted or upside down position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carton blank showing the elements of thecarton and lock in unassembled form;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partially assembled carton of the typeshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the carton top, sides and panel and tabportions in intermediate folded positions;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partially assembled carton showing itin a further assembly stage, with the end of one tab being inserted intothe common locking aperture, and with dividers placed therein; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the dividers ready for installationinto a carton of the type shown in FIGS. 1-4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An assembled carton whichutilizes the preferred form of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings and is designated generally at 10. For illustrative purposesand in order to clearly show the elements, the carton is shown upsidedown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. It will be understood that the tab lock couldbe utilized on the top, bottom, or side of a carton without departingfrom the scope of the invention. In FIG. I, the carton is shown with itscomplement of four articles of glassware II (in phantom) and with theimproved tab lock in assembled or locking position.

The carton may be formed of bristol board or of any suitable sheetcarton material. For display or advertising purposes, the material maybe colored or decorated or printed upon in order to provide a pleasingvisual effeet.

The carton blank such as that shown at 12 in FIG. 2 may be cut from asheet of the material and provided with fold lines for easy assembly ofthe blank into a carton.

The blank 12 generally includes a top portion 13, four sides 14-17, twoopposed locking panels 18-19 and two opposed bottom panels 20-21.Locking panels 18-19 are associated respectively with sides 14 and 16.These panels have respective locking tabs 23-24, and two locking ears 22are provided on the lateral edges of each end as shown in FIG. 2.

Bottom panels 20-21 are associated respectively with sides 15 and 17.Bottom panel is provided with notch or aperture 27 proximate the outerend margin 31 of panel 20. Bottom panel 21 is provided with an aperture28 proximate the outer end marging 32 of panel 21. The apertures 27 and28 are located near a central portion of the respective outer margins 31and 32.

The carton may be assembled on automatic machinery or by hand, and isshown in partially assembled form in FIG. 3. The sides 15 and 17 havebeen folded about top fold lines 25 into generally upstanding positions,and bottom panels 20-2I have ben folded toward each other about bottomfold lines 26. Panel 21 is folded over onto panel 20 so as to overlappanel 21.

As best seen in FIG. 4, when panels 20 and 21 have been overlapped,their respective apertures 27 and 28 cooperate to define a commonlocking aperture 29. The configuration of the aperture is defined by theedges of the notches and the aperture preferably resembles a butterfly"shape; this shape efficiently holds the locking tabs and ears, as willbe described. Other apeture shapes may be utilized as well.

In FIG. 4, the sides 14 and 16 have been folded into generallyupstanding positions about top fold lines 25 and the locking panels 18and 19 have been folded toward the locking aperture 29 about bottom foldlines 26. The carton is in condition to be locked when locking panels 18and 19 lie in a plane generally parallel and overlying the plane of thebottom panels 20 and 21.

In order to lock the carton, the tabs 23 and 24 of the locking panels 18and 19 are folded about locking tab fold lines 34 and are pushed intothe common locking aperture 29. As these tabs are urged into theaperture, its sides engage the locking ears 22 on each tab and cam orfold them inwardly about ear fold lines 33. As the extreme ends of thetabs 23 and 24 are folded through about with respect to the panels 18and 19, the ears 22 are pushed through the aperture. They tend to springback or return to their unfolded or unflexed condition on the inwardside of aperture 29 and bottom panels 20 and 21, thereby locking thepanels 18 and 19 into place, securing bottom panels 20 and 21 togetherand forming the completely assembled carton shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings.

The carton may be utilized in the packaging or displaying of glasswareor the like and the glassware may be packed into the carton after thebottom tabs have been overlapped, and before sides 14 and 16 have beenfolded into their upstanding positions and the tabs assembled.

To separate the glassware, for example to keep it from scratching ordamage, dividers 35, as shown in FIG. 5, may be provided in the carton.The dividers may be made from the same material as the carton itself, orother material. They are preferably assembled together from two pieces36 and 37 and are appropriately slotted and proportioned to this end.

The divider pieces 36 and 37 have notches or cut outs with edges 38 and39 such that their top edges do not extend to their central common axiswhere their major portions intersect. The position of the dividers isseen in phantom at 35 on the top portion 13 of the carton in FIG. 2 andin the partially assembled carton in FIG. 4. The divider may beassembled and placed into the carton prior to the packaging of theglassware therein.

It is to be noted that the dividers act to enhance the security of thetab lock. Divider 36 has corners 42 and 43 which in use are closelyadjacent the points or apexes 40 and 41 of the common locking aperture29, when the divider is placed into the carton. As the tabs 23 and 24 ofthe locking panels are pushed and folded into the locking aperture, theears 22 are folded by the edges of the aperture as previously stated,and as the tabs 23 and 24 are thus folded, the ears, due to theirrounded outline, clear the edges of the locking aperture 29 as well asthe edges 38 of the divider 36. As the ears spring back toward theirunflexed state, they are held in place by the divider 36, which holdstabs 23 and 24 in generally upright or vertical positions with respectto panels 18 and 19, thereby securely holding the panels and tabs inplace.

Upon final assembly, and for displaying purposes, the carton may then beturned over, showing the top and sides which have no unsightly overlaps,seams, apertures or other structural features which detract from thevisual effect of the carton and the printed matter thereon.

While I have described my invention in detail, modifications andvariations will become readily apparent without departing from the scopeof my invention and I intend to be bound only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. a carton blank adapted to be erected to form a package for glasswareor the like,

said carton made of foldable sheet material and including a unitary top,four sides extending integrally from said top and comprising two opposedpairs oriented at right angles to the other pair, each side joinedhingedly along a line to the top and being separated and spaced from theother sides along its side edges,

two foldable bottom panels associated with a first pair of said sides,each bottom panel being hingedly attached to a respective side along aline parallel to the line at which the respective side is attached tothe top and being provided with a fully enclosed aperture proximate theouter margin of the panel,

the two bottom panels being overlappable to form a carton bottom, theapertures together then defining a common aperture in the carton bottomwhen said bottom panels are overlapped,

and two foldable locking panels associated with a second pair of saidsides, each locking panel being hingedly attached to the respective sidealong a line parallel to the line at which the respective side isattached to the top, each locking panel including an integral tab endprovided with locking means formed integrally from said sheet material,said second pair of sides being bendable with respect to said top sothat they project from the plane of the latter, the locking panels beingfoldable to overlap the bottom panels, and said tab end and the lockingmeans being jointly insertable into said common aperture to lock inposition the locking tabs and their associated panels, and to lock thetwo bottom panels together, thereby to form an erected carton.

2. Structure as in claim 1 wherein the locking means comprise twolocking ears formed on each tab.

3. Structure as in claim 2 wherein the carton includes divider meanscomprising at least one edge means for blocking withdrawal of a lockingear after the ear has been moved past said edge means and has sprungoutwardly to an unflexed position.

4. Structure as in claim 3 wherein said divider edge means blocks thelocking ears on said tabs so as to maintain said tabs generallyperpendicular to said lock-

1. A CARTON BLANK ADAPTED TO BE ERECTED TO FORM A PACKAGE FOR GLASSWAREOR THE LIKE, SAID CARTON MADE OF FOLDABLE SHEET MATERIAL AND INCLUDING AUNITARY TOP, FOUR SIDES EXTENDING INTEGRALLY FROM SAID TOP ANDCOMPRISING TWO OPPOSED PAIRS ORIENTED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE OTHER PAIR,EACH SIDE JOINED HINGEDLY ALONG A LINE TO THE TOP AND BEING SEPARATEDAND SPACED FROM THE OTHER SIDES ALONG ITS SIDE EDGES, TWO FOLDABLEBOTTOM PANELS ASSOCIATED WITH A FIRST PAIR OF SAID SIDES, EACH BOTTOMPANEL BEING HINGEDLY ATTACHED TO A RESPECTIVE SIDE ALONG A LINE PARALLELTO THE LINE AT WHICH THE RESPECTIVE SIDE IS ATTACHED TO THE TOP ANDBEING PROVIDED WITH A FULLY ENCLOSED APERTURE PROXIMATE THE OUTER MARGINOF THE PANEL, THE TWO BOTTOM PANELS BEING OVERLAPPABLE TO FORM A CARTONBOTTOM, THE APERTURES TOGETHER THEN DEFINING A COMMON APERTURE IN THECARTON BOTTOM WHEN SAID BOTTOM PANELS ARE OVERLAPPED, AND TWO FOLDABLELOCKING PANELS ASSOCIATED WITH A SECOND PAIR OF SAID SIDES, EACH LOCKINGPANEL BEING HINGEDLY ATTACHED TO THE RESPECTIVE SIDE ALONG A LINEPARALLEL TO THE LINE AT WHICH THE RESPECTIVE SIDE IS ATTACHED TO THETOP, EACH LOCKING PANEL INCLUDING AN INTEGRAL TAB END PROVIDED WITHLOCKING MEANS FORMED INTEGRALLY FROM SAID SHEET MATERIAL, SAID SECONDPAIR OF SIDES BEING BENDABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID TOP SO THAT THEYPROJECT FROM THE PLANE OF THE LATTER, THE LOCKING PANELS BEING FOLDABLETO OVERLAP THE BOTTOM PANELS, AND SAID TAB END AND THE LOCKING MEANSBEING JOINTLY INSERTABLE INTO SAID COMMON APERTURE TO LOCK IN POSITIONTHE LOCKING TABS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PANELS, AND TO LOCK THE TWO BOTTOMPANELS TOGETHER, THEREBY TO FORM AN ERECTED CARTON.
 2. Structure as inclaim 1 wherein the locking means comprise two locking ears formed oneach tab.
 3. Structure as in claim 2 wherein the carton includes dividermeans comprising at least one edge means for blocking withdrawal of alocking ear after the ear has been moved past said edge means and hassprung outwardly to an unflexed position.
 4. Structure as in claim 3wherein said divider edge means blocks the locking ears on said tabs soas to maintain said tabs generally perpendicular to said locking panels.